Chelsea vs Spurs: Predicting Blues' Starting Lineup for Saturday's Derby

After a great run of form, Chelsea were stopped in their tracks at the Etihad in the midweek fixture. Some luck broke for both sides but Manchester City never backed down.

Chelsea will look to continue their run of wins at home and show their support for Di Matteo. He has brought about confidence in his squad, which has paid off through the strikers actually netting goals.

Tottenham have suffered some unfortunate defeats as of late and will look to string a few wins together to secure their top-four finish and Champions League qualification.

Here is a probable lineup for the London Derby.

GK: Petr Cech

Chelsea's No. 1 and deserves to be. There isn't anyone on the roster capable of his fine performances between the posts.

RB: Branislav Ivanovic

Ivanovic has been in decent form as of late. Assuming that he recovers from an injury that forced him off the pitch against Man City, he should get the start.

Jose Bosingwa is the backup for Ivanovic and rightly so. Bosingwa is great going forward but forgets that he is a defender and rarely challenges the ball in the air. He is past his prime and will unlikely regain the effectiveness that he once possessed.

CB: David Luiz

David Luiz has to be one of the most improved players this season, especially after the winter break.

He has been known for his cynical challenges and reckless play, along with his push to get forward and allowing a hole in the defense.

Luiz has reduced his runs and improved on his tackling. There is no better defender to learn from on the squad than John Terry.

Gary Cahill has looked solid but hasn't fully adjusted to his new team, though he will likely establish an English partnership with Terry in the future. This game is too important to risk playing an unsettled player.  

CB: John Terry

After missing the vital Man City game, Terry will be prepared to face their London rivals on Saturday.

Terry has been struggling with a knee injury for quite some time and looks set to return to the starting lineup.

It has been said quite a few times that Chelsea cannot win without their captain playing. 

Statistically, this is somewhat true and I cannot completely avoid the reality of it.

However, Chelsea are a strong team with depth and strength. Terry is very influential and has possibly been take for granted in the past few seasons, but one day (sadly) John Terry won't be there and Chelsea will have to adjust. 

Barcelona went through the same type of ordeal with Puyol. He is in his 30s now and cannot play at the same level that he used to, but they have adjusted even with a midfielder playing centre-back.

LB: Ashley Cole

Cole is another player who Chelsea have relied upon immensely throughout the years. He is also in his 30s now and has obviously past his prime. He is still a solid player but is less influential in the attack and is slowly losing his pace to keep up with the wide players.

I would love to see Ryan Bertrand given more time and experience on the pitch, but Tottenham is a game where experience will pull them through.

Bertrand has shown signs of improvement this season and he deserves to get some more playing time. His time will come.

CM: John Obi Mikel

Mikel has also had a decent run of form and will look to retain his starting position against Tottenham.

He has often been a hit or miss player and is known for his lack of effort and common loss of possession. 

When playing the 4-2-3-1 formation, Mikel is given more leeway to go forward and make forward passes to the supporting midfield players. He is a great defender and has been in the way of many counter attacks and through balls this season.  

CM: Frank Lampard

Di Matteo has kept faith in the "Old Guard" and in Frank Lampard. Lamps controls the midfield and provides experience to the attacking end of the team. 

With Meireles in poor form, Lampard should surely get the start and look to provide more from deeper in midfield and keep possession. 

LM: Salomon Kalou

Kalou has the quality of a star player but has never been given the opportunity. He is the only player (other than Aguero) that has scored in all competitions this season.

In the game against Leicester City, Kalou was brilliant. I look to see him take over the place of Malouda and finally fulfill his ambitions to remain in the starting lineup.

His link-up play with Torres and Mata formed an unstoppable attacking trio and Chelsea will look to remain confident in attack by starting quality, in-form players.

CAM: Juan Mata

Mata has been the spark for Chelsea all season. There have been a few games here and there when he isn't at his best and Chelsea seem to drag up and down the pitch but Mata has the vision needed to provide quality balls to the forwards.

I believe Mata is at his best when playing just behind the centre-forward. Though he was a little too narrow at times when linking with Torres, he is still capable of producing something out of nothing.

RM: Ramires

Ramires has vastly improved this season and adds the pace and aggression needed from the midfield.

Though he is somewhat out of position, he is still very dangerous going forward and is determined to quickly switch to a defensive position.

Sturridge has grown too selfish and deserves to be benched for a few games. He should come on around the 60th minute to provide more pace and ability to get into the box.

Bale will also be attacking from the left side and Ramires will be in charge of slowing him down. 

ST: Torres

Torres has seen the light—finally!

I wouldn't say that he is back to where he once was with Liverpool, but he is improving. 

The Man City game was a tough one to call for Di Matteo since he had an in form striker and another that had the strength to out muscle the City defense.

In the end, Torres was the better choice even though he didn't score. He was very frustrated when he was taken off—as he should be—because he was playing with his team on offense and defense, and beginning to show signs of confidence.

Drogba also seemed careless and uninterested when he was subbed on. He will have to do more to convince me that he should start.

Who Do You Think Should Start?

The Leicester City lineup and instruction should be brought to the Tottenham game as well.

With my suggested 11, Chelsea should play with quick passing and running off the ball, while being solid in defense.

What are your opinions ahead of Saturday's game?